The present invention relates to a disk transporting device that accepts large and small disks, such as CDs, through an insertion aperture and transfers them to prescribed positions for storage and playback.
Japanese utility model publication no. 60-106250, Japanese utility model 61-24851, Japanese laid-open publication no. 2-7263 and other references describe disk players, each of which employs a pair of endless tractor drive belts to transfer the disk between an eject position and a playback position. In these devices, the drive belts are supported at remote points to form oblong loops with taut spanning portions of the belts positioned on either side of, and parallel to, a disk transfer path. The disk inserted between the belts is frictionally engaged by the drive belts at opposite points on its edge and pulled along when the drive belt is revolved. The distance separating the spanning portions of the belts must be roughly equal to the diameter of the disk so that the disk may be inserted between the belts and carried along when the belts are revolved. To avoid interfering with the rotation of the disk when it is played back, the drive belts are separated by distance greater than the disk diameter so the belts clear the disk completely.
There are two standard size formats for compact disks, the recording media containing optically encoded data. These are 8 cm and 12 cm. Prior art devices employing belt drive systems, such as those described above, are capable of transporting only one type of disk because of the great difference in separation between the drive belts required to accommodate the different sized disks.
It is an object of the invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to provide a drive system for variably sized disks.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a disk transporter that is compact and which uses a minimum of individual components.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a disk transporter that includes a pair of disk guides, initially separated by a distance smaller than the diameter of the disk, and which separate to a distance equal to the diameter of the disk to support the disk between them, and separate further when the disk is transported to the playback position to clear the disk for playback.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a disk transporter that uses a separation distance of disk supports to measure a size of the disk and which uses the size information to compute absolute position using movement of the relative to a disk size-dependent registration position.
Briefly, a compact disk player/changer for compact disks fits within the standard half-height disk drive form factor for computer peripherals. A disk, either a 5xc2xc-inch or 3xc2xd inch in size, is inserted through an aperture and supported, at opposite contact points on its edge, between laterally movable left and right-side disk guides. The disk""s left side contacts a belt revolved on the left-side disk guide. The disk""s right side contacts a fixed wall on the right-side disk guide. The belt slides along a rigid wall that prevents bowing from pressure exerted by the disk""s edge. Thus, the right-side disk guide presents a flat movable wall that rolls the disk into the disk player along the fixed wall. The left and right-side disk guides move laterally to accommodate the disk as it is inserted. The spacing between the disk guides, once the disk is fully supported between the disk guides, is detected by a controller to determine the size of the disk. The position of the disk at insertion is accurately registered by the closing of a flap at the entrance of the front aperture. The position of the belt is detected by a rotational encoder on a pulley that supports one end of the belt. The disk size and registration position are used with belt position information to position the disk accurately irrespective of the disk size.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is described, a disk transporting device for transporting a disk, with an edge, from an insertion position to a first position of the device, comprising: first and second disk transfer guides movably supported in the disk reader and initially separated by a first distance, the first disk transfer guide including first means for engaging a first portion of the edge, the second disk transfer guide including second means for engaging a second portion of the edge, means for separating the first and second disk transfer guides a further distance apart than the first distance in response to an insertion of the disk between the first and second disk transfer guides, the further distance apart being a support distance sufficient to receive the disk between the first and second disk transfer guides, at least one of the first and second disk transfer guides including drive means for moving the disk along the first and second disk guides responsively to the separating and the drive means including means for transporting the disk from the insertion position to the first position responsively to the separating.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is described, a device for transporting a disk with a disk size and an edge from an insertion position to a first position of the device, comprising: a disk transfer guide, means for movably supporting the disk transfer guide, means for holding the disk transfer guide in a receiving position in preparation for receiving the disk, the disk transfer guide including one of a first means for engaging the edge at a first point thereof and a second means for engaging the edge at a second point thereof, another of the first and second means for engaging positioned opposite the disk transfer guide, the first and second means for engaging including means for supporting the disk, the first means for engaging including a first longitudinal surface adjacent the edge at the first point, the second means for engaging including a second longitudinal surface adjacent the edge at the second point, the first and second longitudinal surfaces being substantially parallel, means for shifting the disk transfer guide, in response to an insertion of the disk, by forcing the disk transfer guide to one side by the edge, an amount of the shifting being dependent on the disk size, means for urging the first disk transfer guide toward the another of the first and second means for engaging whereby the disk edge positively engages the first and second means for engaging, first means for detecting the shifting, whereby the insertion is detected, the first and second longitudinal surfaces having respective longitudinal axes and extending at least from the insertion position to the first position, drive means for moving at least one of the first and second longitudinal surfaces along the longitudinal axis thereof, whereby the disk is transported from the insertion position to the first position and the drive means being responsive to the first means for detecting.
According to still another embodiment of the present invention, there is described, a disk transporting device for transporting a disk, having a disk size and an edge, from an insertion position to a first position of the device, comprising: first and second disk transfer guides, means for movably supporting the first disk transfer guide, means for holding the first disk transfer guide in a receiving position prior to an insertion of the disk, the first disk transfer guide including first means for engaging the edge at a first point of the edge, the second disk transfer guide including second means for engaging the edge at a second point of the edge, engagement of the edge by the first and second means for engaging being effective to support the disk at the first and second points between the first and second means for engaging, means for inserting the disk, from outside the device, between the first and second means for engaging, whereby the first disk transfer guide is shifted to one side, an amount of the shifting being dependent on the disk size, first means for detecting an occurrence of the shifting, whereby the insertion is indicated, the disk transfer guide including drive means for moving the first surface so that the disk travels along the disk transfer guide from the insertion position to the first position and the drive means being responsive to the first means for detecting.
According to still another embodiment of the present invention, there is described, a disk transporting device, comprising: a chassis, a pair of disk guides with respective longitudinal surfaces that face each other, the surfaces having respective parallel longitudinal axes parallel to one another
the disk having one of first and second substantially different diameters and an edge, means for urging the disk guides toward each other to grip the disk, therebetween, by the edge, means for moving at least one of the surfaces along the longitudinal axis of the at least one of the surfaces whereby the disk gripped between the surfaces is transported, the pair of disk guides being connected to the chassis, at least one of the pair being movably connected to the chassis, so that the facing surfaces are held apart by a receiving distance less than a smaller of the two diameters when no disk is gripped therebetween, the facing surfaces being separated by a first distance when the disk is gripped therebetween and the disk has the first diameter and by a second disk when the disk is gripped therebetween and the disk has the second diameter, encoder means for indicating a change in separation of the surfaces from the receiving distance to one of the first and second distances and the means for moving being responsive to the means for indicating.
According to still another embodiment of the present invention, there is described, a disk transfer device, comprising: a chassis, first and second disk guides connected to the chassis, at least one of the first and second disk guides being movably connected to the chassis, means for urging the at least one of the first and second disk guides toward the other of the first and second disk guides, the first and second disk guides having means for receiving and supporting a disk therebetween by forcing the at least one of the first and second guides to a respective side to separate the first and second disk guides sufficiently to allow the disk to fit between the first and second disk guides, means for moving the disk along the disk guides, means for detecting a movement of the at least one of the first and second disk guides and means for actuating the means for moving responsively to the means for detecting.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.